EDUCATIONAL GOALS AND CHARACTERISTICS:

Positions are available for training in adult spinal surgery at post-fellowship level.  As such, applicants should have obtained a Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgery in Orthopaedics or Neurosurgery, or their equivalent in another country.  

Two positions are available each year and both involve attachment to the Spinal Unit within the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Trauma, as well as a spinal attachment within the Department of Neurosurgery at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.  The level of responsibility would be that of a senior registrar and the clinical duties cover a wide range of adult spinal surgery.  The program of each fellow is outlined below, and fellows will usually swap clinical and surgical responsibilities after six months.

The Spinal Unit treats all major adult spinal injuries with and without spinal cord involvement from the state of South Australia and the Northern Territory.  The Fellow has a regular on-call commitment for acute spinal injuries, is involved in the operative management of both elective and acute patients, and attends weekly case conferences.  

Both Fellows are involved in the clinical management of diseases of the adult cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine, including the management of adult spinal deformity, and will also gain experience in micro-neurosurgical techniques.  

In addition to the clinical attachment there is a requirement to be involved in clinical and/or experimental research projects.

Fellowships run from 1st of July to the 30th of June and applications including a detailed curriculum vitae and the names and addresses of three referees must be received by April 30th of the preceding year.

Spine Fellow Job Description

1. The Spinal Fellow will be primarily responsible for the running of the Spinal Injuries Unit and will be expected to know the clinical details of all of its occupants as well as “spinal” patients on the general Orthopaedic wards and spinal patients under the care of Professor Nigel Jones in the Neurosurgical ward.

2. The Spinal Fellow will also be responsible for the running of the Spinal Injuries Meeting on Monday morning. 
   X-rays and scans outlining the injuries and management of all SIU patients currently on the ward should be presented.  This will often mean putting to one side the appropriate films on the Friday prior to the meeting.  
   The x-rays and scans of patients scheduled for the coming Wednesday operating session should also be presented and the patients’ case notes should be available at this time.
   The Meeting should start promptly at 0800am, which may mean films need to be prepared the night before or early on the morning of the meeting.

3. The Spinal Fellow will attend operating sessions at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, St Andrew’s Hospital and Memorial Hospital as outlined in the timetables.  At St Andrew’s Hospital and the Memorial Hospital the Spinal Fellow acts in an assistant or observer capacity.  On those occasions where an assistant fee is raised on behalf of the Fellow, the monies are collected by the Royal Adelaide Hospital and donated to the Adelaide Centre for Spine Research.
   The level of operative experience gained by the Fellow at the Royal Adelaide Hospital will depend upon prior experience and technical ability.  Of prime concern is the safety and care of the patient and Risk Management requires that the extent of a Fellow’s operating be commensurate with his or her level of technical ability as determined by the supervising consultant.

4. The Spinal Fellow will share “Spinal On Call” with the second Spinal Fellow and notify any changes in the roster to the Spinal Unit Secretary at least one week before the scheduled change.  If this is not possible for any reason the consultant on call, the Spinal Injuries Unit, The Accident and Emergency Department and the switch board need to be notified of the change. The orthopaedic registrar (spinal ) will do the “Spinal on-call” on Fridays.

5. The Spinal Fellow will attend Spinal Outpatients and Neurosurgical Outpatients as indicated on the timetable.  The Fellow should discuss a patient’s management with a consultant before booking surgical procedures.

6. It is expected that the Fellow will have examined and know the details of all elective surgical patients prior to them arriving in theatre and ensure that all relevant investigations are available at the time of surgery.  

7. The Spinal Fellow will attend clinical meetings outlined in the timetable.

8. The Spinal Fellow will be expected to complete clinical and laboratory research activities, which are considered appropriate, as directed by Professor Fraser or other members of the Unit.

9. A verbal report of the progress made with research projects will be expected at least monthly and this will be presented at either the Spinal Disorders Meeting or at the quarterly department research meeting.

Spinal Fellow 1 - Week 1 Timetable 

Spinal Fellow 1 - Week 2 Timetable 

Spinal Fellow 2 - Week 1 Timetable 

Spinal Fellow 2 - Week 2 Timetable 

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Last modified: November 10, 2003